programs 6

ARTism!

Sponsored by the ACL

Artism! is the brainchild of this 7 year-old Lafayette-based artist Jazzy Marshall who has a sister with Autism

Artism! The Sibling Connection is a 12-week program for elementary-aged youth who have a sibling with autism or other special needs.

Led by Project YES Mentors from Naropa’s Art Therapy program, participants will join together in a safe, creative space to share their personal experiences of growing up with a special needs sibling, and to create art to further explore and express these emotions and experiences. This process will help students move these feelings through their body and into an art form to give these emotions deeper meaning, understanding and expression. Youth will feel empowered through these shared experiences that offer a vehicle for vast expressions and making friends with those who “get it”.

Art includes pottery, crafts, painting, writing, using recycled goods and things found in nature to make personalized art.

 

programs 7

Doll Interventions

Have you ever looked at a Barbie or Bratz doll shocked by the message that young women are receiving about what their bodies are supposed to look like? Using an exciting methodology developed by Boulder’s own Samantha Nuttycomb  girls will learn how to spot marketing designed to undermine their self-esteem, the history of beauty standards, and human proportions. This workshop will culminate with a “doll intervention” wherein students will take an unrealistic doll and turn it into a normal looking girl without makeup, realistic proportions and feet that will carry them on their next courageous adventure!

 

OneAction Collaboration 

OneAction  is a yearlong, arts-based, countywide project invites cultural arts, immigrant and educational organizations to create programs that foster conversations on both historic and contemporary issues of immigration. Participating organizations will draw on their individual expertise to develop exhibitions, performances, presentations, music, films, displays and readings designed to raise the level of community knowledge, awareness and engagement on this important topic. Project Yes hopes to help foster greater understanding and appreciation for our diverse histories and help us to become a more welcoming community by facilitating an intergenerational community art projects and incorporating themes of immigration awareness into a unique afterschool workshops.

EQT

EQT is a program where students can learn to handle these types of emotions which include skills to handle anger, self-image/self-esteem issues, anxiety, inter-personal relationships, jealousy, and sadness just to name a few.

Due to this, Project Yes, Centaurus HS, and I are starting up this program to help teens with their EQ.  In fact, many school districts are starting to utilize this in their schools and adolescents and educators are seeing major impacts in their life, both at home and in school.  For example, you may have heard of Mindfulness being used as one of the techniques in California recently reported on a national news show and the benefits the schools are seeing.

I feel this program will not only help them in their personal life (and we know so many of our kids are struggling with issues at home) but also have a big impact in their educational life as well.  In fact, new research tells us when kids have a better handle on their emotions their brains are more equipped to learn.  For example, if kids are under a lot of stress and struggling at home or school emotionally (with fear, anxiety, etc.) they are in the part of the brain called the Limbic System where our brain processes emotions. Due to this, they are not using their Pre-Frontal Cortex where reason and thinking takes place.  If kids gain skills to handle their emotions they will be more rational, calmer, better behaved, and able to learn more at school.  Finally, this is not a therapy or clinical group but one that focuses on gaining skills and encouragement.